Pamella Vedovotto flips through a newspaper looking for the name of a man she calls her guardian angel.

Rafael De Oliveira carried her to safety when a fire ripped through a nightclub in this southern Brazilian city early Sunday morning.

"I don't have words to thank him," Vedovotto told CNN during an interview at her small home on the outskirts of town. "If it weren't for him, I would be in with all of those people who died. He gave me a new life."

De Oliveira, a university student, is in the newspaper's list of dead.

Vedovotto tried to run, but she was pushed against a metal barrier, unable to breathe.

"A girl fell under the barrier and everyone was pushing," she said. "Her neck was snapped backwards and she fell dead on the floor," the student said, breaking into sobs.

"Everyone was shouting help, God get me out of here. It was hell, get me out of here."

A man, who she later would discover was De Oliveira, grabbed her and carried her toward the door. She says he pulled her yellow dress up over her face so she wouldn't breathe in the smoke.

"There were all these people on the floor, shouting for help, and we stepped on them, all these girls in high heels."

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire 29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Relatives and friends of Paraguayan student Guido Britez, 21, who died in a fire at the Kiss nightclub in Brazil, carry his coffin during the funeral in Asuncion on Tuesday, January 29. More than 230 people died and more than 120 were injured early Sunday when a fire tore through the nightclub packed with university students in southern Brazil, police said.

Hide Caption

1 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Guido Britez's family attends the funeral on January 29.

Hide Caption

2 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Mauro Hoffman, co-owner of the Kiss nightclub, is taken into custody by police in Santa Maria, Brazil, on Monday, January 28.

Hide Caption

3 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Residents of Santa Maria, Brazil, hold a march on January 28 to honor the victims of the Kiss nightclub fire and demand justice for them.

Hide Caption

4 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Residents march along Rio Branco Avenue on January 28, demanding justice for and to honor the Kiss nightclub fire victims.

Hide Caption

5 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – A violinist comforts another during the march on January 28.

Hide Caption

6 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Demonstrators carry candles through the streets in Santa Maria on January 28.

Hide Caption

7 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Soldiers carry the coffin of a victim of the nightclub blaze on January 28.

Hide Caption

8 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – A priest celebrates Mass in a public square in the center of Santa Maria on January 28.

Hide Caption

9 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Mourners cry at the municipal cemetery on January 28.

Hide Caption

10 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – The entrance to the Kiss nightclub is covered in soot on January 28.

Hide Caption

11 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Relatives and friends of one of the victims of the Kiss nightclub fire gather during the funeral at Santa Rita Cemetery in Santa Maria on January 28.

Hide Caption

12 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Firefighters stand at the burnt-out entrance of the Kiss nightclub on Sunday, January 27, in Santa Maria, Brazil.

Hide Caption

13 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Relatives wait to identify victims at the municipal gymnasium in Santa Maria on January 27.

Hide Caption

14 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Relatives of victims weep during a funeral in Santa Maria on January 27.

Hide Caption

15 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Relatives pray at the wake of a victim on January 27 in Santa Maria.

Hide Caption

16 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Relatives of a victim of a fire that broke out at the Kiss nightclub weep during the funeral in Santa Maria, Brazil, on Sunday, January 27.

Hide Caption

17 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – A woman weeps on a coffin as relatives of the nightclub fire victims identify bodies.

Hide Caption

18 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – People console each other during a collective wake for the victims of the nightclub fire.

Hide Caption

19 of 29

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire29 photos

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – A coffin decorated with a photograph and image of the Virgin Mary is surrounded by mourners.

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fire – Emergency personnel gather outside the burned-out Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil. The nightclub is popular with young people, drawing between 2,000 and 3,000 people a night on the weekends.

JUST WATCHED

Brazilian teacher: We lost 4 students

MUST WATCH

JUST WATCHED

Brazil fire survivor: Total desperation

MUST WATCH

Brazil fire survivor: Total desperation01:53

PLAY VIDEO

Vedovotto said things got worse when they got close to the exit. Security guards didn't realize there was a fire and closed the doors, probably thinking revelers were trying to get out without paying their bills, she said.

"Then they opened the doors again. But when they opened them there were already a bunch of people on the floor, screaming."